


Box of Chocolates

by Okadiah



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Fluff, Just a whole bunch of random stories, Tumblr Prompts, mostly - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-08-20 22:33:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 12,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16564379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Okadiah/pseuds/Okadiah
Summary: Symbrock prompts I've posted on Tumblr that I thought I'd share here as well.1: Anchor - Eddie and Venom are subtle in public2: Snow - Venom experiences snow for the first time3: Rude - Venom watches TV and is influenced by what he sees. The show is Hannibal.4: Claustrophobia - What it was like for Eddie when Riot consumed him and Venom during the rocket fight scene.5: Turnabout - Venom finds out Eddie is ticklish. Eddie, in turn, finds out Venom is too.6: Team Up - What convinced Anne to help Venom after Eddie was captured by the Life Foundation.7: Christmas Cheer - Venom notice's Eddie's not feeling the holidays and wants to know why. (Holiday fic)8: I'm Not Looking - Eddie and Venom try to keep their presents a secret. (Holiday fic)9: No! - Venom does not understand why he has to wait to open his presents. (Holiday fic)10: Christmas Dinner - Eddie and Venom are invited to Anne and Dan's Christmas Dinner. (Holiday fic)11: Chocolate Sale - Eddie and Venom go chocolate shopping the day after Christmas. (Holiday Fic)12: Ugh, Humans - Venom tries to cheer up Eddie.





	1. Anchor

**Author's Note:**

> As mentioned in the summary, these are the Tumblr prompts I've written which I thought I'd bundle up here. I plan on posting them here several days after I post them on Tumblr, so you'll always see them there first before you see them here.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

"You've gotta be kidding me," Eddie groaned as he glanced over the bridge and down – far down – where his phone had fallen and now rested precariously on a support beam below.

**_Butterfingers._ **

"Well, you didn't exactly catch it either, did you?"

Venom laughed from within Eddie's mind and he frowned as he contemplated the situation. It was strong sunlight out, and the area was absolutely crowded with people and cameras and everything the world needed to catch a glimpse of Venom if they decided to reveal themselves. Which Eddie had _no_ intention of doing.

**_I could just get it for us, Eddie._ **

"Are you forgetting the fact that we're in a public place?" Eddie asked. "The last thing we need is some lucky asshole getting a picture of us, and then summoning all the crackpots in town to see if we're for real or not."

 ** _But we are for real, Eddie,_** Venom pointed out. **_And who cares? We'll just eat them._**

"We can't just eat our problems away, Vee."

**_I've seen plenty attempt in the short time I've been here on this puny planet._ **

Eddie made a face before pushing himself away from the edge. "It doesn't mean we should."

**_It would be easier._ **

Well, Eddie didn't exactly have a comeback prepared for that one.

**_If you're not going to let me get it – because it_ ** **would _be easier – how are we going to get the phone back?_**

A good question, and as a matter of fact, Eddie thought he had a solution to the little predicament. There was a service ladder just to the side of everything which plunged into the shadowy depths below the bridge. He shoved the idea Venom's way and the alien responded with understanding, waiting patiently until Eddie had crouched by the ladder and cupped the lock holding the grate firmly in place in his hand.

Glancing around just in case, when Eddie felt comfortable no one was looking he said, "All you, buddy."

**_At least you're letting me do something._ **

A thin, black tendril snaked out and inserted itself into the tumblers, and after a moment a distinctive click filled the air. Eddie removed the lock and did his best to appear like he was supposed to be doing this to the people around them and took the rungs quickly downward. The shadows were cool and engulfed them, and with all the traffic above and out of sight, he jumped the rest of the way down and let Venom take the impact with ease.

"There," Eddie said. "Phase one complete."

**_Do you even remember where it is?_ **

"I do, actually."

Eddie slowly approached the open ledge where the water glistened far below. Far enough to make his stomach clench at the height. His phone was still quite a bit lower, and as he peered upward, he saw a crowd of people either staring out across the water or looking down at him. Several even waved, and he gave a friendly wave back, even if his lips twitched. He'd hoped that lower would make it easier for Venom to do his thing and ease a tentacle downward, but with so many people watching that wasn't going to happen.

**_What now, Eddie?_ **

Running his tongue over his teeth, he considered their options before coming up with one that was both doable and plausible to their spectators.

"I need you to be my anchor," Eddie said, "and I need you to look like some safety-issued repelling equipment that techs would use if they were trying to get lower from here." Focusing his thoughts, he recalled a man he once saw doing exactly what he was describing and gave it to Venom. "Can you do that?"

 ** _This is below me,_** Venom complained.

"Can you do it or not?"

 ** _Fine,_** the symbiote replied. **_Waste of talent if you ask me._**

"No one's asking," Eddie said before finding a good spot. "Anchor here."

With a massive amount of reluctance, subtle black tentacles arched out of Eddie to plant themselves in the shadows before more curled over his body to create a harness, with strong black cables attaching him to the anchor Venom created. A weight settled over his head, and Eddie was surprised to find a Venom-made hardhat there too. It all looked very natural. Very real.

"Great attention to detail. This is perfect."

Venom inwardly preened and Eddie felt every bit of it. **_Naturally._**

Moving back into view of his audience, Eddie glanced over again and felt his stomach threaten to drop. He clenched the cables Venom made tightly as he got into position.

“Just don’t drop me, okay? You know how I am with these things.”

**_Should’ve just let me do it._ **

Ignoring Venom’s grumbling and his own urge to grumble back, Eddie began climbing down as if this was his job and it was just another day at work. Kids ogled, and Eddie had to make sure Venom didn't let him down too fast or this would turn into a spectacle real quick. But the symbiote moved slowly enough to appear mechanical, and after several long moments they were within range.

"There we go."

Eddie's feet touched down on the support beam his phone had landed on, and without looking too far down, he carefully picked it up, thankful there wasn't a crack on it. He turned around and straightened, and because he had such a curious audience, he flashed the device upward so they could see what he was doing, then gave a thumbs up.

Kids cheered and a tiny round of applause drifted downward toward them. A small rush of amusement flushed through their shared blood.

**_I thought you didn't want to put on a show?_ **

"Nothing wrong with a little bit of this kinda show," Eddie said with a smile before pocketing his phone and grabbing hold of Venom’s cables, which were warm and alive and strong under his palms. His safety line in the air. "And thanks, Vee. Couldn't've done it without you."

**_I know._ **

Eddie made a face as Venom began hoisting them both back up to the anchor point.

"Well, actually, I could have. If I wanted to."

**_No. You cannot do anything without me._ **

"I did a lot of things without you. You know. Before our little partnership."

 ** _That is why you were a loser, Eddie._** Venom's hold tightened on him, but instead of possession like Eddie had been expecting, he felt satisfaction. Maybe even relief. Honesty. **_And it was why I was one as well._**

As they closed the rest of the distance, Eddie found he didn’t have a response for that. And he didn’t really mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can follow me for more of my Venom content on [my tumblr](https://symbrock-darling.tumblr.com/). I'm taking prompt requests there too, so if you have one, feel free to send an ask!


	2. Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Venom experiences snow for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love this one.

A sharp bolt of alarm ripped Eddie from sleep and he yelped in panic as his body bolted out of the warm confines of his bed to force him in front of his drafty window in nothing but his underwear. His bare feet burned against the frigid floor and he snarled at the black tentacle in front of him.

"Venom!"

**"Something's wrong. The sky is falling, Eddie!"**

"What—?" Eddie's body was once again forcibly shoved closer to the window, and it was only quick reflexes on his part that enabled him to catch himself against the frame instead of pitching face-first into the glass. "Stop that!"

**"Focus, Eddie! We might be in danger and if that's the case we need to prepare—"**

"The sky's not falling you ding-dong," Eddie said, gesturing to the icy window and the dark, winter night beyond. "It's just snowing."

Venom stilled, staring at him with confused white eyes. **"Snowing?"**

"Yeah, snow," he said grumpily, breaking through Venom's hold on his body so he could swipe up a blanket to pull over his naked shoulders. "Nothing to get worked up about. Can't believe this is what you woke me up for."

**"So, it's not dangerous?"**

"Uh, no?" Eddie replied. "Well, in large amounts or if you're caught out in the cold unprepared, sure. But like this?" He gestured to the thin layer of snow that was barely sticking to the metal rails outside his window and that would melt the moment the sun came up. "No, Vee. Haven't you ever seen snow before? It's just flecks of frozen water."

Now that the alarm was filtering out of their blood, Venom slowly flowed toward the window, watching the flakes flutter past, gentle and silent.

**"That's what it is?"** The symbiote stared at the light dusting of white layering the world. **"Most of the worlds my kind visited were hot worlds. Dead worlds. Worlds without moisture for such phenomenon. It's really only water?"**

"Yeah, that's all it is," Eddie replied leaning against the window frame. "Touch it if you want. When I was a kid, I liked to catch snowflakes. When there's enough of it, you can even make snowmen, or have snowball fights."

Venom's alien eyes widened. **"Will there be enough of it? I want to have a snowball fight, Eddie."**

"Here? In San Francisco?" Eddie chuckled. "Probably not. Not enough for a decent one anyway, it doesn't get cold enough for that. We'd have to go to the mountains, or to colder states like New York. The snow can be heavy there."

The alien fell quiet again and Eddie watched Venom as he snaked a black tendril out through a crack in the windowsill. He could feel Venom's curiosity at the back of his mind, cautious but interested, and Eddie knew the moment the symbiote caught a flake. A flash of chill swept from that tiny tendril all the way through Venom and into him, and he shivered slightly at the phantom sensation.

To his surprise, wonder curled within the symbiote, and Eddie couldn't help but smile as Venom caught another flake and another, each melting away a moment later.

**"I'm glad we stopped my race from conquering your world, Eddie."**

Eddie hummed, sharing in Venom's quiet contentment as he watched the snowflakes glitter and fall through the night sky. Savored the beauty of it and how they'd helped keep it that way.

"Yeah. Me too, Vee."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can follow me for more of my Venom content on [my tumblr](https://symbrock-darling.tumblr.com/). I'm taking prompt requests there too, so if you have one, feel free to send an ask!


	3. Rude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Venom's been watching TV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a lot of fun, and I just couldn't help but think how Venom might be influenced by TV shows. Like Hannibal. Enjoy!

Eddie was beat. For the better part of a week, he’d been busy chasing down leads for a story, and with all the running around trying not to get caught or shot – with varying levels of success – convincing Venom that now was _not_ the time to break into a hive of gangsters just because they’d found them, and remembering to eat – normal food, much to Venom’s bellyaching – it was a wonder he’d gotten any sleep at all.

But he had, if only for a couple of hours a day. Ever since he'd bonded with Venom, Eddie found he didn't need as much sleep as he used to. The symbiote was like a long-lasting energy drink. Practically the energizer bunny, so long as he got _some_ shut-eye, and so long as they did, they could keep going on and on and on.

Usually, there was nothing wrong with that. They'd sleep and wake about the same time and everything would work out just fine.

Only lately Venom liked to stay up longer than Eddie, a tentacle planted in front of the TV while Eddie lay deep in oblivion on the bed, the sound of a show white noise to lull him to sleep. He noticed that when Venom did this, he let Eddie sleep longer as if to compensate for the shared hours of sleep they both needed – Eddie making up for Venom's deficit. Frankly, Eddie didn't mind. He rather liked sleeping, and Venom never got up to anything while Eddie rested. At least, Eddie was pretty sure he didn't.

But this week, instead of getting the mutual sleep they needed to function, Eddie slept while Venom decided it was a great idea to stay awake through the hours, watching a show instead.

**"I couldn't stop,"** Venom said when Eddie threw a pillow at the alien's head after he'd woken up groggy and resentful after another night of half-sleep. **"One episode ended and another started, and I just had to know!"**

"That's how they get you, Vee," Eddie had replied, snappier than usual. "Jesus, did you at least make some coffee for me?"

It would've been fine if it had only been a day or two, or if Venom slept while Eddie worked, but the symbiote refused to grab some shut-eye when there was even a whiff that Eddie might be in some sort of danger – or if Venom might miss something cool. But his alien had done this every single night for the past week, despite the consequences Eddie had to deal with.

Thankfully though, Eddie had gotten his story. The work was done for the next few days and he could finally, blissfully, get the sleep he deserved.

**_And I'll finally be able to finish my show,_** Venom said excitedly. **_It's good, Eddie. You should watch it. You would learn a lot. I know I have._**

"I cannot _believe_ an extraterrestrial like you is a show binger," Eddie grunted. "Like, seriously. You could wreak havoc on my poor little world, and you're watching _TV_ of all things."

**_Your human version of entertainment is astounding,_** Venom said. **_I don't even have to move._**

"Not that you do much moving without me in the first place," Eddie muttered. They were close to home now, and all he could think of was his beautiful bed. He didn't care what Venom did so long as he got some solid, uninterrupted sleep; enough to stop feeling like this, and more like himself. Let the alien enjoy his show. Eddie did not _care_.

As he made for the doorway to his apartment building, however, he froze and groaned when he felt the cold muzzle of a gun pressed against the back of his head.

"Give me your wallet!"

"Listen, man, you _really_ don't want to do that," Eddie said. "It's been a long day, I've seen some crazies do some crazy shit, and I'm _not_ up to being his moral compass right now. Just drop the gun and walk away, or things are about to get real bad for you."

Venom, to Eddie’s surprise, watched the situation calmly and with an air of approval.

**_That was polite of you, Eddie._ **

Eddie's face twisted with bewilderment because _that_ was out of character for Venom, who under normal circumstances should have already manifested and started throwing the asshole against the concrete. His thoughts didn't linger, however, not when the metal pressed brutally against his scalp.

"You trying to be cute? Who do you think you are?" the guy said as he cocked the pistol. "Don't mess with me, fucker! Just give me your wallet!"

He felt Venom's pleasure rush through him, all the signal he needed. Eddie had time to roll his eyes and mutter, "Here we go," before Venom masked him.

The alien towered over the punk with a toothy grin as a massive black hand snatched the idiot's hoodie by its front. Venom lifted him off his feet and within inches of his mouth.

**"You should have listened."** Venom's tongue slid across the guy’s face, savoring the taste of fear coating him in a way that made Eddie's human mind balk while his hunger gave a ping of interest. **"The rude should always be eaten."**

Venom opened his mouth wide, displaying every razor-sharp tooth, but Eddie had to admit he was impressed when all the punk did was give a sharp yelp of alarm before he reacted. The gun clattered to the ground as he lifted his arms, his body going limp so gravity could drag him down and out of the hoodie Venom still held. The asshole’s footsteps echoed up along the brick walls around them as he ran for his life, and Venom chuckled instead of giving chase.

**"Pussy."**

At Eddie's tired suggestion, Venom swept up the gun and shot the bullets safely at himself to spend the rounds, before crushing the pistol in his hands and tossing the ball of metal in the garbage. Eddie regained control of the body and was inside and well on his way toward their apartment by the time police sirens had stopped outside to investigate the noise.

**_He'll think next time he decides to be rude,_** Venom said. **_He’s food then._**

"What is _up_ with you and this fixation on what's polite and rude?" Eddie asked. "You've never cared before."

**It's that show, Eddie. The one you should watch. There's a doctor in it who thinks it's important to be polite, otherwise—** Venom manifested a tentacle and grinned. **"You pay for it."**

"What? By being eaten?"

**"Yes, Eddie."**

Eddie paused outside his door and gave Venom a quizzical look before a few pieces started to fall into place.

"Vee, what show have you been watching?"

**"It's called _Hannibal_."**

Eddie gave Venom the blandest expression he could muster as the whole picture finally came into focus. He sighed.

"Eat the rude?"

Venom grinned. **"Eat the rude. Hannibal Lecter is correct, you know. He understands that you should just eat the thing that annoys you."**

"You do realize that's a problem, right?"

**"Hardly. I eat all of my problems if I don’t kill them first."**

"Yeah," Eddie said as he entered his apartment, closed the door and made a beeline for his bed. "Always works out _just_ fine."

As Eddie closed his eyes and listened to the distant sounds of Venom playing his next episode of _Hannibal_ , he wondered if it would be worth the effort to put restrictions on the streaming services, rather than risk Venom picking up any more ideas from TV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can follow me for more of my Venom content on [my tumblr](https://symbrock-darling.tumblr.com/). I'm taking prompt requests there too, so if you have one, feel free to send an ask!


	4. Claustrophobia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An exploration about what it was like for Eddie when Riot consumed him and Venom during the rocket fight scene.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a fun prompt to explore. I hope you enjoy!

When Eddie agreed to team with Venom to stop Drake and the silver symbiote up _his_ ass from bringing a hoard of hungry symbiotes to Earth where they – according to Venom – would take over, he knew he'd be in for a shitshow of a time. He'd been fine with that. He one hundred percent expected it to be the worst night of his life, if he survived it at all.

Eddie could never have imagined this.

The raw power of their melding had made up for the strain and pain he'd endured with Venom as they fought the bigger, badder, heavily armed Riot, but even with Venom's strength and Eddie's quick thinking, the odds weren't in their favor. He wasn't sure who thought it or felt it or however it was that they communicated when they were masked like this, but the doubt was there, like a pinprick threatening to tear them apart and weaken them. Yet no matter whoever let it in, they riled against it. Used it as a violent reason to strike Riot and Drake with all they had. Tear them apart as much as _they_ were getting torn apart.

It was grueling. Every time Riot tried to rip Venom from his body it was like having his skin peeled off, causing a desperate rage to fill Venom as they struggled to cling to each other. Only this last time had been worse than the others. It seemed that despite their tenacity and _need_ to stay together, Riot was done playing. If he couldn't separate them, his next big idea was to take them and absorb not only Eddie, but Venom too. Eddie had panicked as silver alien goo – not _his_ alien goo – stole the night sky from his sight and blinded him in darkness.

It was the most horrifying experience of his life.

Eddie had never been a claustrophobic type. In his line of work, small spaces were often where he collected the best information and where he sought safety when he was in danger. It might have been a tight fit, but there was always a little wiggle room. Always air to breathe. Always the ability to break out if need be.

After Venom, this sensation of being covered should have been familiar and bearable, but after being sucked into Riot, Eddie knew this was _nothing_ like Venom.

He'd never noticed before, but although Venom could fight him for control of his body, he never took it completely away. They traded control based on the situation, but in the weirdest way, it was teamwork. A working, organic, weird teamwork that granted Eddie a significant amount of freedom. Venom let him move. Venom let Eddie fight him for control.

Riot made no such allotments. Within the stronger symbiote, he was completely bound. He couldn't move a finger. He couldn't blink an eye. He couldn't breathe because Venom had done what he could to fill his nose, mouth, and lungs, plug his ears and blanket his eyes to prevent Riot – who Eddie could literally _feel_ digging in – from getting a hold. The only thing that moved in Eddie was his heart, and with how fast it was pounding, he knew he was in danger of suffocating soon.

Given that symbiotes needed a host for respiration, perhaps that was the point. Suffocate him, suffocate Venom. Kill them. It would be so easy.

But what was worse than the suffocation, the darkness, the claustrophobia, was the horrible cold. Cold wasn't even a good word for the sensation of Riot on his skin, but it was close. The symbiote burned like frozen metal, weighed on his flesh and crept in like poison, harsh and brutal and cruelly curious to understand why one of his kind had turned coat for Eddie Brock. A stupid, useless human.

The only thing that made the timeless invasion of his body by another of these alien parasites even a fraction endurable was the fact that Venom was still with him. Where Riot froze, Venom was warm as he did what he could to fight off Riot both inside Eddie's body and out. Venom flickered over his skin, trying to find leverage within the writhing ooze covering them both, trying to find a way out. To fight back.

But Riot had him too, and connected like this, Eddie could feel all of them like they were one giant nerve. Riot's triumphant satisfaction at having won. Drake's excitement at having the better symbiote – the one that would lead him to the future. Venom's desperate fury. Eddie's own primal rage bubbling up out of his fear.

It all mixed together, the symbiotes mingling and sharing, and it was in that moment Eddie knew that if some miracle didn't happen, this was it. He and Venom could struggle all they wanted in here, but all Riot had to do was wait them out, and it wouldn't be long. Eddie would suffocate and drag Venom down with him. Without Venom's resistance Riot would consume them both and that would be that.

Eddie had never imagined that this would be the way he'd die.

But as luck would have it, it seemed he had a guardian angel out there somewhere because although it was agonizing, sound blared through the air and after what seemed like an eternity Eddie could see the world again. Stars, lights, the blaze of San Francisco on the dark horizon. They smeared his vision as the sound ravaged Riot and Venom, and soon he was weightless. Falling. Free of alien goo, and never had he been so relieved to land on the ground with a bone-jarring thud as he did in that moment, especially since Drake had dropped down next to him.

Although a part of him wanted to celebrate his liberation from the icy parasite and that he could breathe again, the fight wasn’t over. And lucky for Eddie, he had experience recovering from these sound blasts when Drake clearly didn't because, well, Drake was right there. He deserved as many fists to the face as Eddie could manage before the symbiotes found them again, and no matter what it took he was hellbent on giving them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can follow me for more of my Venom content on [my tumblr](https://symbrock-darling.tumblr.com/). I'm taking prompt requests there too, so if you have one, feel free to send an ask!


	5. Turnabout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Venom finds out Eddie is ticklish. Eddie, in turn, finds out Venom is too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a fun tickle war prompt.

If Eddie had asked anyone what they thought the worst part of being bonded with an alien symbiote would be, they'd probably have said it was the loss of his full autonomy, or the change in his diet, or the cannibalism, or, naturally, the fact that he had an _alien symbiote_ latched to his body to begin with. And all of these were very good arguments. Eddie gave them that.

But they'd all be wrong. None of those were the worst things about being a human host, not for him anyway. What was _the worst_ was actually the fact that he could feel Venom move throughout and over his body.

And Eddie was relentlessly ticklish.

With all the bullshit he'd had to deal with stopping Drake and Riot from destroying the world – and of course the sudden and unexpected presence of Venom – there hadn’t been much time to feel anything except anger, fear, and the deep-seated _need_ to punch Drake in the face as hard as he could. But they'd survived and he'd let Venom stay, and with their hard-won peace came the realization that he'd let an _alien_ make his body its home. He'd never likely know true peace again.

That wasn't to say he didn't fight to keep his ticklishness a secret. Every time Venom masked him, he clenched his teeth against the sensation. Every time Venom manifested, it was a struggle not to yelp and laugh. Every time he felt Venom shifting below his skin, Eddie had to focus on his breathing and not the urge to snap at the symbiote. And he'd done a good job of it too. Venom hadn't suspected in the slightest.

At least, he hadn't until Anne had made a comment about it one day.

"I'm surprised," she said to Eddie after she'd watched them unmask.

"About what?" he'd asked, thoughtlessly distracted by something Venom had said earlier to be truly on guard.

"That you're not on the ground laughing your ass off."

That had snared Venom's attention. He'd created a tentacle with a face in response.

**"Why would he, Anne?"**

"Hasn't he told you?" she’d asked, grinning. "Eddie's ticklish as hell."

The look Venom had given Eddie in response had offered nothing more than pure, unadulterated glee. And the look from Anne had told him she was about to settle in for a show.

It had been a show all right. One that hadn't really ended for a week now.

Venom ticked relentlessly, taking every opportunity to find every one of Eddie's ticklish spots before driving him up the wall with them. It didn't matter where they were either. At home, walking across the street, in the middle of an interview. If Venom got bored, it was never long before a tiny tendril began creeping and it would be all Eddie could do to stifle the unwanted laughter, or actively attempt to make the symbiote stop. It was difficult, given Venom was literally a part of him and there was no getting away. The tickling wouldn't end until Eddie was out of breath, about to piss himself, or the situation required the alien to stop.

Today Eddie hoped Venom had finally gotten it all out of his system. The alien hadn't moved around too much, he'd been quiet all day like he used to be before Anne had let the cat out of the bag. It was peace, but Eddie knew better than to let his guard down.

He'd been right. Just as Eddie was relaxing for the evening, Venom made his move. Tendrils surged out of his body and ran up and down his ribs, caught him under the arms, and Venom's glee crested like a tidal wave. A laugh burst out of Eddie before a snarl covered his face. Anger roared through him like a geyser and it was a snap decision, but it was all Eddie needed. He was _done_ with this.

Eddie was going on the offensive.

"Let's see how you like it!"

In a moment of retributive fury, Eddie dug his fingers into Venom's goo and followed his instincts. He had no idea if it was even possible to tickle a symbiote, but if it was in the _slightest_ , he was going to find a way.

It turned out however that the way wasn't hard to find. He didn't know how he knew – maybe it was the bond they had that silently told him – but Eddie managed to dig his fingers in _just right_. Dragged and turned his fingers in the perfect manner.

A bark of laughter snapped out of Venom, and at that moment everything froze. Eddie's fingers stilled, Venom didn't move, and silence grew between them as the sound of Venom's sudden laughter faded from the air.

Eddie's jaw dropped as the pieces fell into place.

"Are you kidding me!"

**"Now Eddie,"** Venom said, trying to flow away out of Eddie’s reach, but he wasn't having any of that. **"I don't know what you're thinking—"**

"Oh, yes you do," Eddie said with a vindictive grin that was all teeth and imminent punishment. "You gooey asshole! You're mine now!"

**"Now Eddie, it was all just fun,"** Venom tried, shifting away, but there was no getting away. Not now. Eddie's fingers were ready, and by _God_ , he was going to make his symbiote pay for everything he'd put him through. This was war. **"Just a couple of laughs!"**

"Then let me share the laughs!"

Eddie's fingers dug in at the same time Venom went on the offensive, and soon they were a writhing ball of limbs and black goo, each roaring with reluctant or vindictive laughter, intent on making the other submit. But after a week of torture, the last thing Eddie was going to do tonight was let Venom continue his reign of terror. It wouldn't matter if the neighbors all complained and the landlord pounded on the door to keep it down, he was going to make Venom pay for the tickle attacks he'd endured.

And he'd make Venom think before starting a tickle war with him ever again.


	6. Team Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An exploration of what convinced Anne to help Venom after Eddie was captured by the Life Foundation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liked this one, it was a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy!

Anne stared at the dog, the dog whose eyes had flashed with that telling black – black as the parasite that was in Eddie. It stared back at her unflinchingly, and with more sentience than a dog should ever have.

Her brow furrowed and she knelt down. It trotted up to her.

"It's you, isn't it?" she said, careful not to touch though it stayed a foot away. "That thing in Eddie."

The dog wagged its tail and tried to approach her again, but she stood and took a quick step back. "Oh, hell no."

The tiny dog with the alien in it growled before it scurried off to the side, into an empty patient room. Anne watched it, unsure what she should do. Eddie was the one she needed to find right now after all, not deal with this.

The dog peered over its shoulder and growled again, waiting, and given what she'd seen it do with Eddie, Anne supposed the reasonable action was to follow it. Better than let it scare the entire hospital by turning into a black alien monster in the middle of the hallway.

Uneasy as she was, she closed the door behind her and glowered at the creature.

"Well?" Anne said, trying not to feel stupid for talking to a dog, even if there was a sentient alien in it. "What do you want?"

Black, glossy ooze lifted out of the dog, and for a moment Anne was filled with terror. What was it doing? Was it about to attack her? Where was Eddie when she _actually_ needed him?

Another second passed and no attack came. Instead, she was surprised to see a face appear at the end of the black goo. White alien eyes she'd only glimpsed at the network's building appeared again, along with a rage of sharp, glinting teeth.

**"Hello, Anne."**

Terrified as she was, language was at least welcome and useful. It grounded her. She could work with that. "Oh good, you can talk. What do you want?"

**"Your help,"** it explained, flowing in the air, shifting like a boneless snake. **"Eddie's been kidnapped by the Life Foundation. We need to get him back."**

Although her heart squeezed at the thought of Eddie being kidnapped by those thugs, Anne also couldn’t help but chuckle dryly, crossing her arms. "Okay, yes. That’s a problem. But if you think I'm going to help you get back to Eddie when I just got you out of him, you’re wrong. You were killing him! Literally eating him alive as you used him like a car."

**"I didn't trust him. I wasn't supposed to be here this long."** White eyes glanced downward, and its toothy mouth pulled into a frown. **"I made a mistake. I don't want to eat him now. Don’t want to hurt him."**

"And you expect me to believe that?"

**"I haven't eaten this dog."**

Anne snorted. "From what Eddie's told me, something that size probably wouldn't even qualify as a snack for you." A frown formed across her lips. "Why do you trust him now?"

The alien considered her for a moment before another, smaller tendril formed out of the dog. It drifted toward her, slowly as if not to spook her – which was probably good foresight. She eyed it the entire way, her heart pounding, but it stopped an inch from her hand.

"What are you doing?"

**"Let me show you."**

"Show me?" Anne eyed the tendril again. "You're not going to try to take me for a ride like you did with Eddie, are you? Because I can promise you now, I _will_ find a way to get you off me if that's the case."

**"I won't bond with you, not fully. Just enough so you understand."** When she hesitated, it added, **"Please. We need to save Eddie."**

Much as Anne knew this was a bad idea, she still couldn't help herself, especially if the alien was right and it really _did_ need her help saving her ex-fiancé. Mind made up, she glowered at the alien before lightly tapping the black tendril. It latched onto her, and involuntarily she flinched back, jerking her hand away, but it didn't let go. It also didn't do more than hold her finger.

**"Relax,"** it said.

Now that her heart was calming down again, she took a deep breath and gave a stiff nod. As sorely tempted to tear her hand away as she was, she was also curious. This was an alien, and no matter what it had done, Eddie still seemed to have gotten along with it. He'd even been angry to find out that it had been silently eating him. She knew Eddie, and he had a nose for foul characters.

And yet, scared as he'd been, he'd worked together with this creature. There had to be a reason for it.

"Okay," she said. "Now what?"

Anne wasn't sure if there was anything that could have prepared her for the onslaught of thoughts and memories that abruptly flooded her mind, so she got why the alien – Venom, it quickly told her – hadn't warned her beforehand. She saw things there, things Venom had seen and done, things it and Eddie had done together. She felt its initial distaste for Eddie, and its need to escape and accomplish its mission. But then she felt its grudging respect as it and Eddie had worked together, along with a strong and persistent admiration. To her surprise, Venom felt even more than that.

Venom cared. And it wasn't lying.

Anne gasped when the alien broke the connection, and she scrambled on her feet for a moment to regain her faculties. Remember it was just her in her head. Just her emotions and thoughts and memories. Her and no one and nothing else.

"Woah," she breathed. "Is it like that for Eddie too?"

**"Stronger with him. He and I are compatible,"** it replied. **"Will you help me save him, Anne?"**

Anne swallowed, considering after everything she'd just learned. "You're not going to eat me like you were Eddie, are you?"

**"No,"** Venom replied. **"I like you, Anne. Eddie loves you. I won't hurt you."**

It was only because of what Venom had shown her, made her feel, that she believed him.

Even knowing that, she still felt stupid for what she was about to do. But it was the _right_ thing to do, especially if Eddie was in danger, which – knowing him – he probably was.

"Okay," Anne finally said. "Okay, I'll help you save Eddie and get back to him. But _only_ that. Do you understand?"

**"Yes,"** Venom said as it slipped back into the dog, the black ooze vanishing until there was only fur. It moved, its little claws clicking on the ground, before it stopped in front of her, waiting. This was her last chance to back out. She didn't have to do this.

Anne knelt down to stroke the dog's fur along its back, and felt the alien latch onto her arm and sink in.


	7. Christmas Cheer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Venom notice's Eddie's not feeling the holidays and wants to know why.

Venom knew something was wrong with Eddie the moment all the bright lights and colorful decorations and all this talk about 'Christmas' and 'the holidays' and 'season's greetings' seemed plastered on almost everything and everyone they saw. He was familiar with his host's moods and tendencies. As melded as they were, any change in Eddie was bright and noticeable, like those weird stars the humans put on their trees.

Eddie did not like these changes. He didn't like them at all.

Whenever there was a concentration of these strange ornamentations, Eddie would avert his eyes and focus instead on his phone or strike up a conversation with Venom. Whenever someone told him happy holidays, Eddie would respond politely with an echo of the sentiment, but it was weak and always left a dark pang in the human's chest. The scents of pine and peppermint and spice caused the worst reactions, and more than a few times Venom had caught Eddie taking an alternate route just to avoid any coffee or candy shops on the way.

**"What's wrong?"** Venom finally asked one day when they were at home. Eddie was distracting himself with a horror movie he'd found after turning on the TV to find a cartoon about a talking snowman on it. **"I don't understand why you're behaving like this."**

"Behaving like what, Vee? You know I like horror movies." Eddie gestured to the screen where someone was running from a monster. "Wanna guess if they're gonna escape?"

Venom glanced at the movie and sniffed. **"He'll die. He's a side character, so his death hardly matters."** Creating a tendril, Venom found the remote and pressed the power button. The screen went dark and Eddie scowled.

"Hey, I was watching that!"

**"You are avoiding my question,"** Venom said, refusing to budge. **"Why is everything bothering you? You're always depressed, and I don't understand."**

"I'm not depressed, Vee. Now will you turn the TV back on? I don't want to miss anything."

**"No, and you're lying. You even _know_ I know you're lying."** Venom flowed closer to Eddie's face, eyes narrowed. **"What's wrong, Eddie?"**

Eddie's eyes narrowed back and the human crossed his arms. "Nothing's wrong, Venom."

**"You're my host. I need to know what's wrong."**

"Nothing's wrong."

Venom frowned before he stretched another tendril for Eddie's phone. **"I'm going to call Anne. I'm sure she'll know what's wrong."**

That got a rise out of his human. Eddie immediately snatched up the phone and threw it across the room.

"Don't you dare."

Venom looked at him blandly. **"You know that won't stop me."**

"Why can't you just be satisfied with my answer?" Eddie demanded.

**"Because, you idiot, you're depressed and all this ... _seasonal_ stuff everywhere is bothering you, and I don't know _why_."**

"Why does it even matter to you?"

**"Because _you_ matter to me,"** Venom growled. **"And I care."**

Surprise was a wave through Eddie, and the hot aggression that had been slowly building in the human seemed to dissolve. After a long moment Eddie sighed, his body falling back against the sofa. He tilted his head back to stare up at the ceiling.

"It would be so much easier to stay angry at you if I didn't know you were telling the truth." Eddie glanced at Venom before pursing his lips and looking away again. "Fine. You're right. I don't like the holidays, okay? Now are you good? Can we get back to watching the movie?"

**"Why does it bother you?"**

Eddie glowered at Venom before saying, "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

**"Have I ever let anything go?"**

Eddie threw up his hands before they landed on his thighs with a soft smack. "Fair enough. Fine. Me and the holidays have never really got along. I don't exactly have great memories of them, so when this time of year comes, I try to ignore it."

**"Why?"** Venom asked again, digging deeper. **"I won't pretend to understand your human customs and culture, but there is a charm about all the lights and shine and nice smells. They're compelling. What makes you hate them?"**

"I don't _hate_ them," Eddie muttered. "They just remind me of my childhood." Venom waited, arching a brow, and Eddie sighed again. "Fine. Fine. This time of the year is all about family and friends and good, happy things. And kid-Eddie loved that stuff, and every year he hoped it would mean something to his family. And it did when I was really little. But then my mom left, and after that dad never wanted to have anything to do with the season no matter what I did to try and get him to see things differently."

**"And so ... you don't like it now?"**

"Years of trying and failing just soured the experience, I guess. I wanted what everyone else had, all the fun and cheer and goofy happiness that everyone else seemed to have so easily, but instead it all just makes me unhappy now." Eddie shrugged. "Sometimes that's just the way things happen."

**"What about when you were with Anne?"**

A wry laugh slipped out of Eddie as he stared at his hands. "Well, it _was_ better with her, especially when I thought we were going to be a family. I was going to do things so differently, but of course that's out the window now."

Venom studied Eddie, trying to make sense of his strange, flawed logic.

**"If all of this is about family, why are you still depressed?"**

Bewilderment rolled from Eddie into Venom. "What do you mean?"

Venom realized Eddie completely meant it. He didn't get it. The symbiote huffed heavily and shook his head before extending a little to thunk his brow against Eddie's, and hopefully knock some sense into the human.

**"Because,"** Venom said since Eddie clearly needed it spelled out. **"I'm your family. And you can have all of that with me."**

Venom could feel the amalgam of emotions swell through his host. Surprise. Disbelief. Doubt. A hint of fear.

But it was all dulled by the slower, brighter touch of realization and hope that slowly curled around all of it.

Eddie really was such a loser. But what could Venom say? Eddie was his loser. And he'd meant what he'd said.

"Oh, come on," Eddie said, even as his lips twisted up ever so slightly. "You don't even know anything about Christmas or the holidays or even why it matters so much to us stupid humans."

**"You got that right,"** Venom replied. **"Confusing humans with confusing customs. But it means something to you, and that's what matters."** Venom grinned. **"That, and I really want to try one of these roasted chestnuts I keep hearing about."**

A bigger smile spread across Eddie's face. "You wouldn't like them. They're nuts, Vee. Plantstuff."

At that, Venom made a face before recovering. **"Then what about those chocolate Santas I keep seeing in the store."** His white eyes lifted, then narrowed. **"There aren't nuts in those, are there? I hate it when they sneak nuts in the chocolate."**

"I don't think so," Eddie said, a spark appearing in his eyes.

**"Oh! Then we can do that loud singing everyone does outside now,"** Venom said, excitement welling up in him. **"We can sing those Christmas songs as we hunt down bad guys!"**

"Now, that's certainly one way of spreading holiday cheer."

**"We can do all of those things you wanted to do, Eddie. All of the holiday stuff,"** Venom said, pressing tender warmth Eddie's way within their bond. **"You and me."**

"You and me, huh?" Eddie said softly.

**"Yes, Eddie. You and me. Because we're family now."**

Eddie stared at Venom before giving him a slow, tired, but honest smile.

"Yeah," he said. "I guess we are."


	8. I'm Not Looking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie and Venom try to keep their presents a secret.

When Eddie had agreed to let Venom stay with him and use his body as his new home, it had been a snap decision, and really he didn't regret it. In a strange way, he liked having the symbiote around. Eddie knew most people would've thought being the host to an alien would be the most invasive thing they could ever think of – and in some ways, he could see where they were coming from. But deep down, he liked it, in a way.

All his life he'd never thought of himself as a lonely person. He was social. He made friends. He could blend in anywhere he went and when he didn't piss people off, generally they liked him enough not to kick him out immediately. But since Venom had entered his life, he'd found a certain ... peace in knowing that no matter what, he was never alone. He had a permanent companion with him all the time, and although sometimes the reality of it hit him and it _was_ daunting, for the most part it was nice to be able to share his life like this. To bypass any walls he or Venom might put up, any emotions they felt, directly skip past the lies. Venom knew. Eddie knew. It was relieving when it wasn't embarrassing.

But then there were the times when they _needed_ to keep secrets from each other, for one reason or another. Like now, with Christmas and the gift giving.

**"You'd better not be looking,"** Venom growled from behind him where he was busy wrapping whatever it was he'd gotten Eddie. **"You'd better not be looking!"**

"Same to you, pal!" Eddie shot back, mentally focusing on his own gift and not on the curiosity that nudged below it, nor on the mental activity he could feel from Venom like an itch on the other side of his mind. It was tough to do, a real psychological exercise, and it was a miracle that they'd managed to get this far at all. When they'd played Secret Santa with Anne and Dan, they hadn't _actually_ expected to get each other, but to their mutual mortification just whose names had they received?

Anne had known the moment she'd looked at their faces and she'd just about died laughing in response.

And it was nothing compared to the actual buying of gifts, and figuring that out was a mess of its own. Anne and Dan helped by distracting one or the other as their counterpart talked their way toward a gift instead of working through it mentally where the other could more quickly find the answer. After that, the couple had agreed to help them get whatever it was they'd decided upon while Eddie and Venom agreed to mentally plug their ears against anything that felt even remotely like Christmas.

Dan had swung by earlier with the gifts, handing one bag to Eddie and the other to Venom, then wished them luck in their wrapping.

It was the hardest part of all.

**"Are you peeking?"** Venom demanded suddenly, feeling the shift in Eddie's thoughts. **"You better not be!"**

"I'm not, you paranoid, gooey asshole! Jeez!"

It was hard not to though. Venom's excitement over his gift was like a current tugging Eddie closer and closer to looking, and sometimes he caught himself almost glancing over his shoulder, just like he knew Venom kept almost doing. Like now. A nudge in their mind was a little too strong, to interested, and Eddie glared.

"I felt that!"

**"I didn't do anything!"**

Eddie wasn't sure how they were going to manage it, even if they did make it through the gift wrapping. There were still _days_ until Christmas, and at this rate, he was sure that either the cats would come out of the bags, or they'd kill each other trying to keep the secrets.

But he had to admit, in a way it was fun trying, all the same. And Eddie could feel that Venom thought so too.


	9. No!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Venom does not understand why he has to wait to open his presents.

Eddie groaned and let his head fall back as he searched for a new argument that would finally get the idea through Venom's thick, stupid, gooey head.

"I don't care if you can smell what's inside, Vee," Eddie sighed before rolling his head back up to stare at Venom. "You can't open it. Not yet."

**"But why not?"** the symbiote demanded again as he gestured with a tendril toward the wrapped box under their tiny Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. **"My name's on the tag. I can smell the chocolate inside and I'm hungry. I don't see why I can't just open it."**

"Because it's a gift, and the point of a Christmas gift is that you open it on Christmas. It's supposed to be a surprise."

**"But I already know what's in it!"** Venom argued for the umpteenth time. **"I'm not going to be surprised, so there's no point in waiting."**

"It's just how it is!" Eddie exclaimed, losing his patience. "Tradition! Just-just silly human tradition. We open our Christmas gifts on Christmas morning. There."

Venom made a face. **"But I've overheard other families. Some open them early, or the night before. And not everyone does Christmas either, so they could open gifts whenever they get them. I'm not from your world and I don't need to follow your customs. That means I can open them whenever I want. That makes sense."**

Eddie covered his eyes with a hand.

"How about this, then? Personally, I don't care. It's not my gift to you. But you want me to tell you who cares – and I mean a lot? Anne." Eddie nodded to the gift. "That came from Anne, and trust me. She expects you to open it on Christmas morning, alien or not. And if you open it any earlier, she _will_ take it personally."

That, finally, seemed to get Venom's attention.

His question was slow. **"How seriously?"**

It was the exact opening Eddie was looking for. Eddie brought up a memory of the one and only time he'd opened a gift before Anne had wanted him to, along with the fallout and damage control he'd had to manage for weeks later. Venom's face dropped.

"It's not worth it, Vee. I promise, it's not." He held Venom's gaze. "Learn from my mistakes."

Venom's mouth closed, his rage of teeth gleaming but there was no wicked grin to frame them. The alien glanced between the gift and Eddie before pouting. **"I still know what's inside."**

"Sure," Eddie said, relieved. "Well, yeah, you know it's chocolate. But you don't know what type of chocolate it is, do you?"

Judging from the way Venom's eyes widened ever so slightly, Eddie guessed the thought hadn't even crossed the symbiote's mind.

**"No."**

"You also don't know how much, or if there's something else in that box either. There might be more."

**"You're not doing a good job of convincing me not to open it now, Eddie."**

"I'm telling you that although you know what's in there, there still might be a surprise waiting for you. And half the fun of Christmas presents is waiting all this time just to find out."

Venom looked only partially convinced, but within their bond, Eddie could feel curiosity stoke within the alien.

**"So, I have to wait until Christmas day."**

"Yes."

**"Even though I already know?"**

"But can you say you know for sure?" Eddie asked, unable to stop himself from planting a seed of doubt. "You know Anne. She's crafty. For all you know she put chocolate shavings in there to throw you off. There might not be any chocolate in there at all."

Venom's jaw dropped and a tendril curled around the gift drawing it so close it was pressed directly against the symbiote's face. **"It smells like chocolate."** He tried shaking it, but there was no discernable sound. **"It has to be chocolate."**

Eddie made a face and shrugged his shoulders. "But you can't say for certain."

**"But it has to be!"**

Venom continued his intense inspection, but to Eddie's relief he could feel that the alien wouldn't open it. That Venom would let the curiosity tease at him until he was finally allowed to see what was inside, and that more than anything made Eddie smile.


	10. Christmas Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie and Venom are invited to Anne and Dan's Christmas Dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this one :]

Eddie knew it was coming and had been actively avoiding Anne ever since Thanksgiving. But it _was_ coming, and although he'd succeeded for two long weeks, he supposed he wasn't all that surprised when he got home one night to find Anne waiting in front of his door. Without preamble, she shoved a stiff card in his hand with swirling black letters and silver and red foil edging it.

"Now come on, Anne—"

"You're coming," she said, cutting through his argument. Eddie huffed at her, causing Venom to press curiously at him though he ignored the alien because when dealing with Anne, he couldn't afford to be distracted.

"You know, I've got work—"

"No, you don't," Anne said, catching him in the lie before he'd had time to even do a good job of it. "I called your boss to be sure."

"Now that's just rude."

"You _owe_ me, and honestly? It was Dan's idea."

Eddie made a face but knew when he'd lost. "That man is just too good."

"He really is," she said with clear warmth in her voice. "But honestly I liked the idea, so you were screwed either way."

**_What's she talking about, Eddie?_ **

Again Eddie ignored Venom and tried one final time. "You guys don't need to do this. Vee and I were just gonna get a microwave meal or something and stay in. We'd be perfectly fine."

Anne made a face before pressing the card in his hand into his chest with a pointed thump.

"And that's why you're both coming. Microwave dinner, Eddie? Come on."

Eddie shrugged and looked away. "I mean, it's better than the alternative."

"What's the alternative?"

Venom manifested a face and grinned wickedly. **"Heads."**

"Oh, no!" She glared at Eddie. "That settles it. You're coming. Remember, dress nicely, okay? And you'd better make sure Venom's presentable too."

**"Presentable?"**

Eddie's jaw dropped.

"What? Anne, you can't be serious. He's an alien for Christ's sake. He's goo!"

"Then make the goo presentable," she's replied with that smile that left no room for argument. "You hear that, Venom? And you'd both better be on your best behavior. I'm not having my Christmas dinner ruined because you two want to be idiots."

"You don't have to risk it at all," Eddie pointed out, but all she did was shake her head at him and leave, the discussion settled and over.

Venom had looked curiously at Eddie as they'd entered their apartment. **"Christmas dinner?"**

"Yeah, it's a thing with her."

**"But you two are not together anymore."**

Eddie had groaned, glancing at the card before tossing it on the counter. "I think she feels bad for us."

**"What's there to feel bad about?"** Venom replied. **"We will be fine."**

"Somehow I don't think she sees it that way," he sighed. "No stopping it now."

And that was why they were now standing outside her and Dan's door with a bottle of decent wine in hand and Venom tucked around Eddie's body to form the nicest suit Eddie had ever worn in his life, even if it was made of alien goo. No one had to know that, and Ann _had_ said she wanted Venom presentable. She'd never said how.

Dan opened the door, a welcoming smile on his face. He wore a red sweater that was casual and seasonal and in the back of Eddie's mind Venom grumbled that he'd have preferred to turn into something like that.

"Hey, you both made it." Dan stepped aside, taking the offered wine and leading them to the dining room. "You're just in time. We're pretty much ready."

"That's great," Eddie said, moving slow as he took in the decorations while also trying not to look too obvious doing so. It wasn't so long ago that _he_ was the one leading guests into a beautifully decorated house he'd helped create with Anne. But not this year and not this time, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Dan press a kiss into Anne's cheek as they passed each other.

He wasn't jealous or anything, not now, not of their relationship. They were good for each other, and unlike Eddie, he was pretty sure Dan would never hurt Anne. Definitely not like he had. Besides, he had Venom, and really they were just as great together. Things, in a weird, roundabout, completely unbelievable way had worked out for everyone. He just ... missed this. The hominess of it all, and that it wasn't his anymore, not like this.

That, more than anything, had been why he hadn't wanted to come. And it had been easy because Venom hadn't quite gotten it.

Eddie suspected his symbiote was beginning to understand as he developed a tentacle to look around himself, white eyes curious.

**"It's different from the last time we were here,"** the alien said. **"You took the outside decorations and brought them in. It's nice."**

"What can I say? I like to decorate for the holidays." Anne gestured to the table where food was already packed among the fine china and flutes of champagne. "Go ahead and sit."

**"Something smells good, Eddie,"** Venom murmured next to his ear. Eddie gave him a soft snort.

"If you say so. Just looking, I don't think there's much here you'd like." Eddie went to take a seat as Anne and Dan put on final touches, and he paused when he counted the settings. There were four, and he couldn't help but cut his eyes around, Venom sinking back slightly to avoid detection. "Are you expecting someone else? How come you've set up for four?"

Anne's eyebrows shot up. "Eddie. Venom. There are two of you."

"Yeah," Eddie replied. "But we share the same body."

**"We've only ever needed one place. I don't need to be present to eat if Eddie's doing it for us."**

"But that cuts one of you out when you do that," Dan pointed out, taking his seat beside Anne. "And we invited you because we wanted you both here."

"It's the holidays," Anne said. "And after everything we've been through together in the last year, well, you're both welcome at our table. And that means you _both_ get a spot." Anne stared pointedly at Venom. "Just don't drool too much, okay? If you do, you're handling _all_ of the cleanup when we're done."

If that was a joke or not – probably not – they didn't know, mostly because they were too astonished to think about it. Since they had to lay low all the time, the only times they were ever acknowledged as individuals in the pair they made was when they were alone, or when Anne or Dan or Mrs. Chen brought them up in conversation. They'd never had anyone cater toward their unique circumstances and acknowledge them both.

Eddie and Venom looked at each other, surprise swimming laps between them.

"Oh," Eddie said, slowly facing Anne and Dan where they watched. "Well. In that case ... we're happy to be here, and that you thought of us both."

**"Right,"** Venom agreed, his tentacle slowly flowing toward the place that had been set up just for him. **"Thank you for inviting us."**

Anne smiled a smile filled with confidence and pride, one that always made her more beautiful. The one that always meant things had worked out exactly as she'd wanted them to.

"Now that we're all settled, let's dig in. Oh, and Venom?"

**"Yes, Anne?"**

"Dan and I took your dietary preferences into consideration, so we made something special for you."

Venom's eyes widened, and Eddie tried not to make a face.

"I hope you didn't, uh, get any heads or anything."

Anne made a face at him but Dan laughed.

"No, nothing like that. But since I've been working with you both, I've developed a good idea of Venom's needs and the way they might be applied to the kitchen. It's steak, extra bloody, with a special chocolate sauce I made to accompany it."

**"Is _that_ what I've been smelling?"** Venom said, awe in his voice as the hunger between them grew enough to make even Eddie salivate. **"Dan. I could kiss you."**

Dan shot a quick look at Anne, and Eddie couldn't help himself. A laugh burst out of his chest and soon the entire table was filled with laughter and smiles and cheer, and Eddie supposed afterward that he'd thank Anne for inviting them after all.


	11. Chocolate Sale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie and Venom go chocolate shopping the day after Christmas.

Eddie rubbed sleep from his eyes as he reached for a basket and made plans to have a very large cup of joe once all of this was said and done. A little old lady moved slowly into the aisle in front of him, and he had to practically restrain Venom from masking him where the alien was all but bouncing with excitement in his chest.

**_Hurry, Eddie!_** Venom insisted, Eddie's muscles constricting in that way that told him Venom was about to force control. **_She might get the Santas!_**

"Calm down, she's not going for the Santas. Look." Just as he'd thought, the old woman carried on, moving past their targets to reach for something else. "Jeez, how can you be so hyped up this early in the morning?"

**_Because this is my Christmas present, remember. You promised and I was patient and waited until everything was on sale. Well, it's the day after Christmas, everything is on sale and you're not going to rain on my parade._ **

Eddie lifted his hands placatingly. It was too early for this, and Venom was right. After the symbiote had found out that chocolate the day after Christmas was dirt cheap, he'd promptly declared that he did not, in fact, want the video game Eddie had low key been looking for an excuse to get. Instead, he wanted to spend the equivalent amount of money on as much chocolate as they could get their hands on.

Looking at the prices, Eddie realized it was going to be a lot.

Ambling toward the middle of the sale aisle, Eddie waited for the little old lady to move into the next row before glancing around. One of the reasons Venom had gotten his host’s ass out of bed so early and Eddie hadn't fought him so hard on it was because no sane person would be up at this ungodly hour when they could be sleeping off Christmas day instead. That meant there would be no one to fight them for the chocolate.

And no one to see Venom.

After making sure there were no security cameras pointed in their direction, Eddie waggled his hand to indicate the chocolate aisle as he dropped his chin into his other hand and leaned against the basket.

"Go ahead. Go crazy."

Delight raged through Eddie, and he yawned and thought of the coffee he'd make after this while Venom manifested a multitude of tendrils. They shot out from their body and began quickly skimming through the selection, finding and collecting anything that Venom decided he couldn't leave the store without. Hershey Kisses and Hugs of all exotic flavor types. M&M's. Entire slabs of chocolate and bags of miniature candy bars. Cadbury eggs.

**"Yes! I've been dying to have one of these!"**

Roughly fifteen chocolate Santas landed in the basket, and Eddie reached for one, remembering when he was a kid and getting one of these as a stocking stuffer. They were heavy chunks too, and Venom all but preened as he gazed at his growing hoard. Eddie smirked and Venom caught it.

**"What are you smirking at?"**

"You," Eddie replied frankly, his smirk growing into a grin. "You're cute when you're excited, you know that?"

Venom had the gall to look outraged before he flowed closer.

**"I am not cute,"** he growled menacingly, and Eddie rolled his eyes.

"Dude. You may be able to pull that scary gooey shit on everyone else, but I know the truth."

Venom glowered death before a tendril brought one of the chocolate Santa bars toward the alien's mouth, the foil shredded off. Slowly and with clear intent, he took a gigantic bite out of its jolly head. The chocolate crumbled between his sharp teeth and Eddie felt the pleasant tingles curl through his body like it always did when the symbiote ate the stuff.

"I've still gotta pay for that, you know?" Venom just took another slow bite, maintaining eye contact the entire time until the Santa was consumed, and Venom had made his point. Eddie just leaned against the cart again and arched a brow. "You done yet?"

Still glowering, Venom continued gathering chocolate until Eddie was sure every bag in the aisle had been inspected and the proverbial cream of the crop had been collected. Eddie couldn't help but think the pile was missing something, however.

"Oh, get a candy cane. I love those."

Venom made a face. **"Those are gross, and this is _my_ gift, Eddie."**

"And I let you share _my_ new game," Eddie pointed out, having gotten the game for the both of them anyway, under the guise of gifting it to himself. Venom glowered and Eddie snorted. "Come on. It's just one candy cane."

The alien narrowed his white eyes to mere slits, but one lone tendril plucked a candy cane off the rack and threw it in. Eddie smiled.

They checked out with only a slight look from the cashier who glanced at the mound and at Eddie before shrugging and placing all of it into the backpack Eddie had brought along to carry it all back home. Once again Venom was eagerly waiting within his body, his anticipation flooding Eddie until he mentally scowled at the symbiote to stop so he could focus.

"Have a good day," the cashier said with an amused smile. "Enjoy your chocolate!"

"Thanks," he said with a grin. "I'm sure we will."

As they walked out into the morning dawn, once they were out of sight of the store Venom created a few small tentacles and eagerly began sorting through the collection. It wasn’t long before he pulled out another chocolate Santa, its head ready to be devoured.

"Hey, give me some," Eddie said. Venom crunched down, his smaller mouth making for smaller bites which didn't seem to bother the alien in the slightest.

**"Hell no,"** he replied, mouth full.

"Oh, come on. You've got more than enough."

**"And it's all mine."**

"Just a piece?"

**"Nope."**

"How about a Kiss?"

Venom made a face.

**"I won't even give you a Hug. Besides, you have your candy cane."**

Eddie snickered before outright laughing, and he couldn't help but think that this was a great way to spend the day after Christmas.

"Oh my God. Just wait until Valentine's day," Eddie said as he hefted the chocolate haul onto his back and set off for home and the coffee pot. "Now that's _really_ gonna blow your mind."


	12. Ugh, Humans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Venom tries to cheer up Eddie.

Venom had bonded with many hosts in his time, each of them varied and unique, possessing skills and qualities he'd used to his benefit over and over again until he'd finally come to Earth and changed his ways. Before Earth and Eddie, he'd thought there wasn't a species in existence he wouldn't be able to understand and control. As far as control went, he still wasn't wrong.

But he did not _understand_ the humans here. Nor, in some ways, did he understand Eddie.

For the most part, he did. Eddie was, more or less, straightforward and blatantly honest, right to the point of self-sabotage. His wants and desires were fairly clear. His fears more so.

And yet Eddie still found ways to surprise and confuse him. Like now.

**"Why are you depressed?"** Venom asked as he watched Eddie stare up at the dark sky, body limp and listless and vulnerable. **"I don't understand."**

Eddie sighed and that was no help, and no matter how many times Venom ran through Eddie's memories to attempt to piece together whatever had brought this on, the pieces weren't fitting right. This happened sometimes with his new host. Eddie would be fine one moment and then depressed the next, and Venom would have no idea why. No other species he'd encountered suffered like this. At first, he'd wondered if it was just Eddie – it wouldn't have surprised him that of all the hosts he could have had, he'd chosen the defective one.

But upon examination of the rest of Eddie's species, Venom had come to the conclusion that this strange ability to feel one thing one moment, then something else entirely the next was a phenomenon all humans experienced. It didn't make sense, but then with every passing day he realized that the humans generally _didn't_ make sense.

Which made moments like these ... frustrating. Venom made a face at his host.

**"Eddie."**

"I don't know, Vee," Eddie finally said. "I get like this sometimes. Sorry, I can't be energized and go-go-go all the time."

**"I don't _understand_ ," **Venom pressed again, his tentacle flowing around Eddie. **"You're uninjured. Nothing traumatic has happened—"**

"Well, that den of creeps yesterday was pretty traumatic."

Venom rolled his eyes. **"Hardly."** Venom stared at his host again, cocking his head to the side. **"Nothing is wrong with you."**

"Does there have to be something wrong with me?"

**"There usually does, at least with every other host I've had,"** Venom replied. **"But you humans are all so confusing."**

Eddie shrugged. "Seems pretty straightforward to me."

**"You've never been bonded with anything, besides me of course. You don't know any different, and you can't tell me what's wrong."**

"After all this time you can't just, you know," Eddie gestured obscurely to himself and the sky and who knew what else. "Know?"

**"It doesn't work that way, Eddie."**

Eddie sighed again, the sensation rolling through the human and into Venom, a mildly satisfying sensation that pushed the depression back, if only a little. When he'd first noticed this effect, Venom had attempted to instigate the sigh in Eddie himself, but it never had the same effect. Eddie had to do it on his own.

"Look," his host said. "It's like this. We're filled with all these thoughts and emotions and environmental triggers all the time. Most days, it's manageable and we can go about the day just fine. Some days it's not as manageable, but there are reasons."

**"But this isn't one of those days,"** Venom pointed out.

"That's because some days it creeps up on you and you can't really stop it or anticipate it. Things just get to us humans, Vee." Eddie looked at him. "I'm going to be fine. I just need to go through it."

Venom made a face, trying to keep his agitation low, lest he let it affect Eddie even more. **"I still don't understand."**

"Why do you need to understand it?"

**"So I can make you feel better."**

This simple fact surprised Eddie, and Venom knew because he could feel it. It changed the human's biochemistry, causing a rush to curl through the symbiote. Eddie shifted ever so slightly, but it was clear Venom had Eddie's complete attention.

"You're trying to understand to make me feel better?"

**"Of course,"** Venom said because that was _obvious_. **"You're my host. I don't want you to feel bad, Eddie. Not when you could feel good instead. All of these sudden depressions, I don't like them."**

"No one likes them, Vee," Eddie said with a faint chuckle.

**"So I'm trying to do something about them. And that means I need to figure out why they happen so I _can_ help."**

Eddie chuckled, then he started to laugh, and to Venom's surprise and irritation the depression seemed to lift off Eddie's chest and he still didn't know _why_.

**"I can't believe it, you're feeling better,"** Venom groaned. **"Why?"**

Eddie's smile widened. "You really don't get it, do you?"

**"No! That's why I'm asking!"**

Eddie snickered. "Oh, you poor alien. It must really be hard for you, huh?"

Venom gave a huff before he glanced at the dark sky above as if it would have the answers he so desperately needed to deal with Eddie Brock and the human race and all their confusing little quirks.

**"Stupid humans,"** Venom said when no such answer was given to him.

Eddie laughed and laughed.


End file.
